


Dragon Heart

by spacedragonarmada



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, DSoD references, Dragon AU, Gandora!Yugi, M/M, Puzzleshipping, Slifer!Atem, Yami Yuugi | Atem Has His Own Body, red eyes!joey, subtle dakr magician girl/silent magician, subtle joey/yugi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:14:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28872135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacedragonarmada/pseuds/spacedragonarmada
Summary: Needing a break from Battle City tournament Joey drags Yugi to the local arcade. What they weren't expecting was to be dragged INTO the game?? another dimension??? and now they're suddenly dragons? Shenanigans ensue as the trio try to get home. Also sexy times cause Yugi and Yami cannot seem to keep their hands off of each other now they have their own bodies.
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	Dragon Heart

**Author's Note:**

> After 3000 years I have finally finished this AU.

[.](https://twitter.com/RussianNiko/status/1344487784535396352)

[ ](https://twitter.com/RussianNiko/status/1344487784535396352)

[.](https://twitter.com/RussianNiko/status/1344487784535396352)

Yugi groaned against the dirt, his body felt unusually heavy in addition to a deep seated aching sensation as though he'd been hit by a truck.

It took a moment to force his eyes open, a moment longer for the dizziness to simmer down and the world to come back into enough focus that he didn't feel like his lunch would pay him an unfortunate revisit.

Not trusting himself to stand just yet, Yugi opted to pull himself into a sitting position only to notice his usual school attire had been replaced by.... armour?

No it wasn’t quite armour, it looked like scales; smooth small black scales littered with lines of brilliant red orbs.

Curiously he tapped at one such gem only to find it seemingly fused to the armour, much like the rest of his body.

A segmented tail adored with a large brilliant red gem near its tip swayed gently around his clawed feet, and the weight on his back made itself known as he experimentally flexed leathery wings.

Okay so he was some kind of dragon; that much he knew.

Somehow the notion didn’t faze him as much as he expected it too. Then again it wouldn’t be the first time he had been dragged into a game or turned into a duel monster, and knowing his luck, it probably wouldn’t be his last.

If nothing else, he was only a little disappointed whatever magic was at work (probably shadow magic) it didn’t have the decency to make him the dark magician.

His thoughts were interrupted by Joey bolting upright beside him with a startled yelp, arguably taking the shift from their world a little harder than he was.

It wasn’t Joey's first time like this either, but he supposed it was still jarring either way.

Unlike the last time when Joey had been his then-favourite monster the flame swordsman, now he was adorned in the plated armour of the red eyes black dragon.

Joey's personality didn’t seem to fit the mighty dragon but he wore it well nonetheless.

At least whatever blasted them on the way here hadn’t torn his best friend away from him.

"Hey Joey, its okay we just got sucked into the game."

In the drop of a hat Joey's eyes were on Yugi and a beaming smile took over his face.

"Oh hey Yuge, I'm glad you're still here too. Seems we can’t even go to the arcade anymore without something crazy happening."

"Seems like it." Yugi readily agreed.

"Ah well, if it's anything like last time I guess we’ve just got to win this game and we can go home. Whatever this game is. It looks nothing like what we were playing."

It was troubling, not even Kaiba’s virtual world was up on the market, and that arguably, would have been the closest thing to wherever they were now.

"Speaking of which, I guess I've got it made, red eyes has 2400 attack and 2000 defense. I‘ll be kicking ass and taking names! But, what about you Yuge? I thought you would have been the dark magician again or something, I don’t recognize your monster at all."

 _Don't remind me..._ the bitter thought of his monster lingered only a moment before a more pressing concern arose.

"I honestly don’t know. This monster isn’t in my deck nor have I seen it before. I don’t know anything about it."

Joey shot him a quizzical look, perhaps he was trying to figure it out but as expected, he came up with nothing.

"If it weren't for all your freaky red gems I would think maybe you're some red eyes fusion."

"Maybe, but it doesn’t tell us what attack and defense I have, I fear I'm not going to be much help in a fight until we can figure that out."

"Yeah, and we still gotta find who's responsible for bringing us here."

At least last time this happened there had been one clear culprit, Bakura, but Ryou hadn’t come with them on this adventure, heck, it had just been a last minute outing after Joey had called claiming he was bored out of his mind and wanted a distraction from their assignments. Yugi had, thankfully, just been finishing up said assignment; the task proving much quicker when Yami had offered to help.

Speaking of Yami...

As Yugi brought his hand to touch the millennium puzzle it became increasingly apparent the item was missing.

"My puzzle is _gone_!?" It was as much of a statement as it was a question. Had it stayed behind when they'd been dragged in? Was Yami still on the outside? Panic rose in his being and his mind link hummed in response.

"Other me?" His head snapped in the direction of the tug and Joey was left to watch in helpless confusion; words of reassurance falling dead on his lips as Yugi seemed to move a mile a minute, attempting to figure out how to move in his new draconic form.

"Hey Yuge, wait up where are you going?"

"My puzzle is missing but I can still _feel_ His soul, I'm certain if I follow it I'll find him and my puzzle."

"Guess that makes sense." Joey nodded before he too, made his way to follow Yugi’s Yami-homing-beacon.

****

It was a, thankfully, uneventful trek.

If he had to compare it to anything it was absolutely to that of a training area, the earliest levels of a game. While that worked in their favour for the most part, learning how to move about the world; it also meant there was no chance to even see how the world around them worked, much less to have any indication on what kind of monster Yugi had become.

Joey continued to follow blindly as Yugi followed the tug of his soul. It wasn’t the first time he’d witnessed his best friend separated from his other half, nor was it the first time he was reminded of just how strong the bond between the two was.

The flicker of fire clawed into his mind, remembering the dark clown’s twisted game. Fire engulfing the room as Yugi felt compelled to stay and complete the puzzle. Unable to leave his other to disappear to the flames.

It was as admirable, as it was stupid.

But he understood. Not completely, but enough to know that Yugi could not be swayed from his decision to stay. No matter how painful it was to watch the flames intensify, the heat scorch his skin, no matter how loud the voice in his own soul screamed for self preservation; he had waited until he could not wait any longer.

Rushed in, embraced his unconscious friend and dragged his sorry ass to safety.

Yugi had never let go of the puzzle. Never let go of that bond.

The link between them was so strong he doubted even death could tear them apart.

There was no doubt he would die for Yugi but… In a way, he kind of envied what Yugi and Yami had.

Yugi’s sudden stop brought Joey out of his thoughts accidentally crashing into the smaller boy. Apologies dying on his lips as he took in Yugi’s determined expression; eyes closed and just… focusing. _Listening_.

It occurred to him then, that it seemed less like they were hunting down the puzzle and more like they were hunting down the actual spirit himself.

He’d long since accepted Yugi and his other but, the idea that at the end of this yellow brick road could be an actual _body_ was as intriguing as it was terrifying.

Yugi had confided in him that the spirit of the puzzle could manifest beside him, and in limited situations, make a piece of himself _solid_ enough to touch. If only for a moment. Asides from that, they were very much two sides of a coin, only one visible at a time.

Forget how he would react if Yami had his own body here; how would _Yugi_ react to being able to not only being able to see, but touch his other self, like any other regular person?

His mind supplied the image of the dark magician as they continued at a significantly faster pace, no doubt closing in on the source of the pull. Yugi would no doubt pout in that rather endearing way he did whenever he was teased or trying to be mad if he could hear that thought; he had to resist the urge to chuckle, instead focusing back on ensuring Yugi wasn’t running headlong into danger until finally they came upon a clearing beneath a small cliff.

What they hadn’t expected to see was the long draconic tail of _Slifer the Sky Dragon_.

How could he forget what the Egyptian God looked like, but to find one _here_ in what should have been the _training area_ of this twisted game was more than enough to send an anxious jolt up both their spines.

Joey gulped back his nerves as best he could as they made themselves as small as possible around the great dragon, surely they were far enough away if the dragon turned they wouldn’t be spotted but, Joey did not miss the look in Yugi’s eye that screamed he had to get past the dragon.

“This might be a problem Yuge. That dragon is either stupidly strong or super weak but I’m not keen to find out which it is.”

“Maybe we can sneak around it?”

“Lead the way pal.”

Yugi’s eyes closed again and tugged on their bond. The connection was much louder, _stronger_ , now but they were so close… soon he’d see the spirit again and everything would be back to normal-

Only that the dragon’s body lurched sluggishly in their direction as soon as the bond was tugged.

“Oh boy this isn’t good.” Joey began, about ready to scoop the other up in his arms and high tail it out of there when a familiar, deep voice, cut through the clearing life a hot knife through butter.

"Yugi?" The dragon, _Yami_ called; his gaze immediately locking onto his other self atop the ledge, ignoring the rest of the world around him, ignoring how awkward it was to move with such a large appendage sprouting from his lower back, maneuvering it to lift his lighter body off of the ground and presenting himself before his other and Joey.

"Other me." Yugi replied, breathless, relief evident in his voice as he scrambled out of Joey’s grip to meet his other; eyes wide, looking him over, taking in everything, taking in the fact Yami was _there_ in front of him. Even _Joey_ could _see_ him.

 _”Thank Ra you’re okay, aibou.”_ The bond between them hummed with a familiar sense of closeness. They may be apart, separated, but they were still connected. Their souls still yearned and reached out for each other.

It was overwhelming. But it felt safe.

Yami was here, Yami was safe. _They_ were safe.

_”You failed to mention you were a dragon.”_

_”I could say the same thing about you. I thought you would have been the Dark Magician.”_

Yugi’s groan sounded so much louder between them. It felt so weird, how loudly they could talk to each other despite neither of them holding the puzzle.

It wasn’t _bad,_ just _odd_.

_”Joey said the same thing. I thought you would have been the Magician. I don’t know what I am. Have you seen anything like this before?”_

_”I’m afraid not.”_

"Hey guys, you okay? You've been staring at each other for a while now."

"Ah! Sorry Joey!" Yugi flinched as if he'd touched a hot iron, an embarrassed flush colouring his cheeks. If their voices to each other were loud, Joey’s voice was deafening. He hadn’t realized they’d fallen into internal chatter.

"It seems even apart, our souls are still connected, we just... fell back into how we talk when we're not alone."

The downcast look told him everything, Yugi was feeling bad for unintentionally blocking his best friend out of their conversation, whatever it was about.

"Don’t sweat it Yuge." Joey comforted, ruffling a hand in tricoloured mess of spiky hair.

"Not gonna lie this is a little weird seeing both of you… _here_. I knew you were in his puzzle, but seeing you in person is on a whole other level."

Yami nodded his agreement, awkwardly maneuvering his body to settle down on the ledge.

"I'm glad our mind link still seems to be working even in different bodies."

“Yeah I can’t imagine finding you would have been easy without it.” Joey easily agreed, not so subtly glancing over Yami’s draconic form. He had been expecting the magician but, all things considered, an Egyptian God seemed equally appropriate. There was nothing quiet about Yami, ever.

 _Different bodies_. Yugi mused. _Apart_.

They were separated from each other. It still didn’t seem real; especially when the trio all seemed to be some kind of duel monster dragon hybrids.

Yami’s exposed torso was very distracting, moreso than the everything else that was his other had being fused with an Egyptian god of all creatures. His chest clad in Slifer’s headpiece armour, wings sprouting from his lower back, and below that the long serpentine body of Slifer. It no doubt would make it difficult to walk, but… he couldn’t help but imagine how graceful his other self would be if he took to the sky.

“So any ideas on how to get outta here? Or at least to the next stage of this wacky game?”

“Not sure, we could get a better vantage point if we fly above the canopy, but it’s getting dark, who knows what sort of monsters come out at night.”

As it happened, Yami knew of a small cavern that would be equally sheltered and defendable should anything dare to come at them. He’d been taking refuge in said cavern, drawn out only by the tug from his other half.

Joey thought that was curious, Slifer was one of the most powerful monsters around yet Yami was on guard. Between the three of them he had hoped the Pharaoh knew something of his power, maybe a secret ability to protect himself but, that didn’t appear to be the case.

"Slifer’s attack points depends on how many cards you're holding, does that mean your attack is 0?"

Yugi stopped dead in his tracks, shooting Joey a look of concern before shifting to Yami, no doubt realising just how vulnerable his other self was like this. For all his bumbling majesty in his draconic form, until they knew more about the world around them, he was no stronger than Yugi.

Before the tension could fully drown his best friend, Joey put on the biggest, award-winning smile he could muster before declaring, "I think until we know more it's safe to assume both your attack points are 0 so I'll be the one to crush anything in our way!"

 _”At least Joey has spirit.”_ The thought trickled between their mind link. Whether Yugi was supposed to hear it or not he did not know, but he couldn’t help a chuckle regardless.

 _”That’s Joey for you.”_ Yugi agreed before continuing aloud, “Alright Joey, we’ll put our safety in your hands.” 

***

As night descended on the land and the moon bathed the leaves in a comforting glow, the trio found themselves pressed into the very cavern mouth Yami had mentioned before.

The great dragon’s tail coiling around them like a protective barrier, keeping in the heat from the small campfire Joey had managed to build.

Two of the three occupants were sound asleep, leaving Yami alone with his thoughts, watching the flames flicker and lick at the disintegrating wood.

The quiet was comforting, but only because Yugi was there beside him. It felt enough like home, of the nights spent lounging in the desk chair or leaning against the bed as he watched over his other self, to bring him some peace of mind.

His partner was safe, Joey was too.

If it was true that both he and this partner had no power, then he’d truly be in debt to Joey for keeping him safe.

As if on cue, Joey began to stir, his voice kept hushed so not to wake the smaller dragon.

“Can’t sleep?”

“Joey?”

“The one and only.” He joked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Joey propped himself up to face the other male.

Yami continued to watch him for a moment, waiting to see if the conversation would be steered away from the answer Joey would no doubt disapprove of; but luck was not on his side, and the pharaoh was not about to make a habit of lying to their best friend.

“I feel tired but, I don’t normally sleep when Aibou is. I prefer to watch over him, in case anything happens.”

“That can’t be good for ya.” The trace of accusation in his voice was apparent, but did not shake Yami’s resolve.

“Regardless of how you two were before, you have your own body now, if you get fatigued wont that make us worry more about you?”

He couldn’t refute that claim. Joey worrying about him he could handle, but Yugi fretting over him?

He had always been weak to his partner.

A promise to try and take sleep more seriously was soon lost as Joey spoke up once more, “Huh, I’ve only just realised you call Yuge ‘partner.’” 

Yami’s breath hitched.

“Is there something wrong with calling him that?”

“No, no not at all, it just seems fitting I guess. You’re basically soulmates anyway.”

It was an offhanded comment, but nevertheless it did not fail to bring a flustered heat to Yami’s cheeks. The once graceful pharaoh left gaping like a fish out of water, words falling dead on his lips as he tried to form a reply that did not betray his innermost thoughts.

Whether Yugi sensed his unease or not, Yami’s attention was immediately pulled to the other as his sleep shifted from peaceful to restless. Expression contorting and mumbling what at first seemed like nothing more than gibberish.

The more attention he paid however, the more he began to realise it wasn’t gibberish at all; Yugi was seeking him, _calling_ to him. In body and spirit.

Up until that point Yami had fought against the urge to take his other in arms. To touch him, hold him.

There was a fear if he did, he’d never be able to let him go.

Hesitantly, he reached out to take Yugi's hand in his own, relief washing over him like a gentle wind at the very real contact between them; The usual static of spirit touching flesh was replaced by a warmth Yami could not recall feeling.

But as he feared, it wasn’t enough, he wanted to be closer, and as Yugi stirred too, leaned into his touch, it seemed his partner wanted it too.

"Y'know, you don’t have to hold back. Maybe it was a taboo in Egypt but you’re not there now."

Yami pried his gaze away to meet the most sincere expression on Joey he’d ever seen.

"It’s obvious you wanna touch him, so what's stopping you?"

The pharaoh remained silent.

Joey was unsure whether the flicker of emotion across the pharaoh were real or merely a trick of the light, but it was obvious Yami needed more of a push to believe it was truly okay.

"Yuge was excited and nervous about finding you. I think somehow he knew the puzzle wasn’t going to be at the end of the road. I don’t know how it feels to share a body but I think it would be natural to want to be close."

Joey could see the cogs of his mind turning, processing this information, before finally, _finally_ the pharaoh surrendered to his desires.

“…You’re right, Joey.”

Yami shifted to Yugi’s side, eyeing him cautiously, looking for something. Perhaps discomfort? Perhaps confirmation that this was okay.

With Joey watching on, the Pharoah had never felt quite so nervous as his actions were clearly on display for the world to see; The way he slipped his free hand around Yugi’s waist, pulling the smaller dragon against his chest.

Yugi let out a sleepy sigh of contentment at the warmth against his body, leaning in and burying his face into Yami's shoulder.

The same sense of relief washed over the Pharaoh, but it still wasn’t enough. They didn’t feel close enough. They didn’t feel like _one_.

The world around him faded from existence, his mind tunneling on the boy in front of him. Quietly shifting and shuffling until their limbs became entangled, until their arms wrapped securely about each other, until their bodies were flush, slotted together like puzzle pieces.

The deep bellied sigh of relief was a sentiment shared between the two.

Yami's erratic heartbeat lulled into a matching rhythm as tiredness finally took hold of his mind.

He felt complete like this, and the pleasant hum between their bond signified Yugi felt complete too.

From the opposite side of the fire Joey couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across his face.

“Heh, how cute.”

He continued to watch the two a few moments longer, waiting until he was certain Yami would sleep through the rest of the night before finally allowing himself to slump against the dragon’s tail.

While he knew his poker face would never stand up to that of Yami, he wanted to believe the puzzle spirit hadn’t seen the uncertainty in his eyes.

His thoughts went back to the waking world. To Domino City.

There were in the middle of Kaiba’s battle City tournament, opting to take a moment to ease the worry in Yugi having just saved him from Marik’s control, and having won the first of the three Egyptian God cards.

It was supposed to be a quick break to unwind before the final push, but instead, they had ended up sucked into a game.

Was it because of the rare hunters?

Was this whole thing just another ploy by Marik to claim the pharaoh’s power for himself?

Now Yugi and Yami were separated, easy pickings and weak on attack if someone were to strike.

The thought made his skin crawl.

He'd never forgive himself if he'd lured them into a trap. Yugi would try to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault, that he couldn’t have known an arcade machine of all things was dripping in shadow magic, if that's what this really was, but even so, no amount of Yugi’s reassurances would ever ease his guilt if Yami was taken.

Promising the both of them that he would help the Pharaoh put an end to Marik’s evil felt even heavier than watching Yugi sacrifice himself to the crushing depths of the ocean to save him.

He couldn’t hear Yami in the puzzle like Yugi could but, the thought never left his mind.

When Yugi had given him the puzzle in a desperate pled for him to break Marik’s control, did Yami know what was going on? Could he see Yugi standing on the opposite side of the pier, his beloved gifted red eyes black dragon a weakened shell of its former self, begging the return of its master?

_Was Yami screaming in a voice only Yugi could hear?_

The traitorous spiral of thoughts dragged him mind further into the abyss, away from battle city, away from the suffering the group had endured thus far, and instead tormented him with thoughts of the unknown.

After the world was saved, what would become of Yami?

Would he disappear? Or would he stay?

The Yugi he watched earlier desperate for his puzzle and the familiar voice inside his heart, and the Yugi who sat engulfed in flames to repair the spirit and beg for his forgiveness, gave him a bitter taste of the former.

As if he could sense Joey's unease from across the cavern, Yugi shifted in the pharaoh’s hold and for a moment he held his breath, half expecting the smaller male to awaken.

But after what seemed like an eternity the feeling came to pass, and Yugi breathed a deep belly sigh, holding the pharaoh tighter and nuzzling against the other's chest in a strangely childish notion.

Drifting back into a peaceful slumber.

Joey too, let out the breath he was holding.

It would do him no good to continue fretting over the boys; all he could do was be there for them. Together or apart he would help and support them through thick and thin; with that thought he finally allowed himself to succumb to the temptation of sleep.

****

Yugi was the first to awaken. The morning sun streaming into the cave, it thankfully blocked from his eyes by a body still flush against his own.

Ah, that's right. He and Yami had been separated.

As the events of the previous days came back into focus, Yugi spared himself a quick glance to see he was in fact, still a dragon. The body resting soundly against Slifer’s tail was indeed still Joey, and yes, the body against his own, so close they practically melted together, was the Pharaoh.

While the two slept on, Yugi blinked the sleep from his eyes, hands unmoving from their position around his other self as he took the moment to properly _look_ at him.

He hadn’t noticed under the setting sun just how different Yami looked from his manifestations by his side or appearance from within their soul rooms, his skin was beautifully tan, limbs adorned with gold that screamed royalty, and perhaps most intriguing, was the thick kohl around his eyes.

Much thicker than he was used to seeing.

Everything about his Pharaoh, even in this draconic state, held such a high atmosphere of grace and power about it.

In a way, it was a little daunting, to be held so tightly in Yami's embrace when, even asleep, he appeared to be sent by the gods themselves.

Daunting as it may be, Yugi couldn’t help the pang of thrill to be in his position.

To see, to _touch_.

In this quiet morning moment, _he_ felt as if he'd been blessed by the gods.

The moment was broken the moment Yami began to stir, no doubt feeling the shift in the bond.

Yugi had never been particularly good at shutting off his side of their link, majority of the time he didn’t want to anyway. At times he was embarrassed, but for the most part he welcomed every connection, every feeling, he shared with the pharaoh.

If he wanted to be alone, Yami would take the initiative. Perhaps it had been foolish, but Yugi vowed after duelist kingdom that he'd be open to the spirit.

His only regret would be that his decision to forgo learning to mute their bond would break the serene calm that graced the other’s face.

He seldom got to see the Pharaoh sleep, but this truly was the most at peace he'd ever seen his other self look.

Sluggishly Yami began to stir. The coils of his tail shifting just enough to slump Joey at an angle that couldn’t be good for his neck, before deep purple eyes blinked awake.

Yami stared at him for a moment, his expression as unreadable as his thoughts before, as if in a trance, he leaned in to place a single gentle kiss to Yugi’s lips before burying his face back into Yugi’s shoulder with the intent on drifting off once more.

Yugi’s face burned with embarrassment, his heart rattling his ribcage and deafening his ears, trying to comprehend not only how _cute_ Yami looked still drowsy with sleep, but for the fact that his other self _kissed him._

"That was unfair." He mumbled, opting to hide his face against Yami's hair incase Joey happened to wake that very moment and catch him redder than a tomato.

The gods must have been forgiving for they allowed Yugi the time to regain his composure before reluctantly deciding to separate and wake his other half.

As tempting as it was to remain in Yami's embrace forever, they needed to get out of here.

Waiting around would only make them more vulnerable.

Yami was vocal in his protests, reluctant, but not unwilling to let Yugi untangle their limbs and pull them apart.

What he hadn’t expected was the burning chill that came with the loss of touch; the cool rush of morning air prickling against his exposed torso. A canyon may as well have opened between them for how far away they felt. To say it was unpleasant was the understatement of the century.

Eyes snapping open, there was a momentary wash of relief to see the pain had not been one sided.

Yugi lay with eyes blown and a noticeable shiver to his person. His hands twitched against his chest, their remaining point of connection, blatantly torn between letting go or pulling his other back into his embrace.

Yami made the decision for him, dragging their bodies back together; a quiet moan of delight springing from both of their lips at the connection renewed.

"Yami..." Yugi all but whined the Pharaoh's nickname. This was counterproductive to what he'd intended to do.

"We won’t make it back to domino city if we stay like this."

While Yami didn’t so much as grunt in reply, Yugi could feel the anxiety bleeding between their bond. The pharaoh would probably never admit it, but Yugi did not doubt that in a way, he feared the darkness that came with being alone.

Even in the puzzle and their mind link muted he was always _there_ , close, paying attention.

While their bond was still very much alive, Yugi could not blame his other for feeling as though there was a void in his soul, like an incomplete puzzle they existed next to each other, but not with each other.

As comforting as this physical closeness felt, flesh felt like a barrier between their souls, stopping them from falling together as a complete picture.

"Its kinda funny seeing you being so stubborn like this, I mean you're always stubborn, but now you can actually cause trouble." Despite the accusation, Yugi let out a quiet chuckle as his fingers found their way into Yami's spiky hair; caressing and toying with it in a way he knew he himself liked, eager to see if the pharaoh felt the same.

Judging by the incredibly half hearted angry glare that peeked up at him from his shoulder, he'd have to say yes.

"Joey isn’t even awake yet."

"Joey sleeps like a log, he'll wake up soon and unlike a certain _someone_ , he'll be keen to get moving too."

Yugi was right of course, but without anyone else to see him like this, he found himself slipping into the temperament of a spoilt kid. It was unbecoming of him, much as it would have been unbecoming of a pharaoh, but somehow it felt natural to his person. Had there been times in Egypt he'd been allowed to get away with such bouts of indecency? Who was he with that would permit him so without consequence?

The thought provided more questions than it ever would answer in his current state. So wrapped up in that thought however made him deaf to whatever argument his partner was trying to make to rouse him.

"-People are counting on us to save the world, it's our destiny to do so. We cannot abandon our friends or the world." His words were harsh, but Yugi was looking at him with such fondness, fingers still toying with Yami's hair. He didn’t need to hear Yugi’s thoughts to know he felt the same about being separated like this, but for his sake, and his own, he was trying to be brave.

And here he was being selfish.

"That was unfair, Aibou." Yami breathed, his grip finally loosening just enough to allow Yugi to squirm.

If he didn’t act now he did not doubt those arms would claim him again.

Yugi chuckled, ignoring the unpleasant chill that came with wiggling out of Yami’s hold.

"The sooner we get back the sooner we can be one again. In the meantime let's make the most of having our own bodies.”

Giving his other no opportunity to pull him back, Yugi crossed the short space between them and Joey, shaking the black dragon's shoulder to rouse him from incoherent grumblings about needing to finish a duel first.

By the time he succeeded, Yami had finally pulled himself together, brushing off absent dust and fixing his hair in some semblance of a morning ritual before sliding his tail out from behind Joey's slumped form, denying him the cushion to fall back asleep on.

The look Yugi shot him at the display was only met by a mischievous smirk from the pharaoh. If he couldn’t go back to sleep, neither could Joey.

****

The trio decided to head north.

Upon entry into the world, before the sharp spike of pain - that turned out to be the world splitting them apart - yami recalled seeing a castle and village in the distance. With no better leads and no one to ask, it seemed a likely place to start.

They began on foot, only to find the less than ideal situation in which yami could barely maneuver his body.

He'd barely made it ten feet before being jerked back and his center of gravity decided to do a somersault.

Yami had argued considering they were all dragons, they could just fly to their destination, and it would have been the immediate solution had joey not pointed out that if there was a village, there would probably be streets and hallways to walk.

With a sour expression yami resigned himself to the reality he'd have to learn to walk.

It was embarrassing, but for the most part his partner and friend were supportive.

That was until joey suggested maneuvering his tail like a Caterpillar and proceed to laugh his ass off for a solid twenty minutes; first at the fact that yami had done it, secondly, at the way his body lurched forward and almost sent him face first into the dirt.

Yugi had laughed too, contained poorly behind armoured hands, but only for a moment before helping the Pharaoh regain some of his dignity.

In the end it became a precarious balance between snaking the limb, balancing with minute changes in his wings, and keeping his body held tall and proper that allowed him to at least walk in a straight line without falling over.

The air of nobility returning as he mastered the craft and it would have been breathtaking if the illusion wasn’t ruined every time joey snickered remembering the Caterpillar.

With the art of walking mastered, it was time to take to the sky.

Wings spread in the open plains, it only took a couple of beats to lift their bodies from the far reaching grasslands and into the clear skies.

Yugi and joey fluttered clumsily at first, attempting to find the proper coordination between flapping and riding the air currents to keep them steady.

Yami however, took to the skies like he'd known it his entire life. Soaring through the air with such ease yugi wouldn’t have been surprised of the currents bent to his will.

The gold adornments littering his body caught the sun's rays that only enhanced his natural beauty, basking him in a kind of glow that felt almost taboo to gaze upon it.

Even joey was awestruck, taking in the Pharaoh’s being as he circled around back to meet them.

“Y'know, sometimes I forget you share a body with a 3000 year old pharaoh. He seems like a regular kid half the time, well, a regular kid with a lot of pressure in him but. Seeing him now, looking like _that_ , makes you wonder how he ended up here in the first place. In our time."

Yugi seemed to consider for a moment, or perhaps he was still too distracted by his other self to reply.

After spending more time with yami it became increasingly apparent he was more than just 'another him', yami was his own person, a pharaoh from ancient times, and while he didn’t have his memories he had his own soul.

They existed in the same body, to an extent a mirror to himself but, it wasn’t until they were separated like this that the distinction between them was so plain to see.

Here their souls did not blend, while they could still speak via their link, their souls did not brush, did not interact, did not occupy the same body.

For all intents and purposes, they were two separate beings.

As yami once was as pharoah.

As yugi once was before he completed the puzzle.

He could never doubt the feelings and words that hung between them, both the spoken and not, it would be a lie to say it wasn’t daunting to see a glimpse of the pedestal yami resided on, and how he himself was, well, nothing more than a modern age student.

"Aibou?" Yami’s voice brushed aside his thoughts and Yugi came back to himself in time to realize Yami was hovering a few feet in front of him, concern subtly tugging his eyebrows as he studied his partner’s face, looking for the answers their mindlink wouldn’t give.

"Sorry, Yami, I was just thinking..." Naturally whenever he tried to be dismissive, yami would push against his resistance, test it, see how far Yugi’s resolve to keep to himself would be.

Yugi’s resolve was often weak when it came to his other self, Yami knew how to brush against his soul, knew how to coax him into opening, knew how to make him feel safe and unashamed of any of his worries.

The hand that reached for his, laced their fingers and gave a comforting squeeze was more than enough to crumble his resolve.

"I guess it's just..." Yugi began, struggling to put his thoughts into words. Unable to make eye contact with Yami but feeling the weight of his gaze on his body.

"When we're together, it's easy to forget you're a pharaoh. You're my other self, the one who knows me best, protects me and our friends. I know our goal is to recover your memories but even then I feel like..." he paused, considering his words carefully. Hoping it sounded strong but instead came out barely more than a whisper. "Your equal."

A frown tugged his lip and his eyebrows knitted, still Yugi refused to meet the Pharoah's gaze, even when he pressed, knowing the smaller male wasn’t finished yet.

"But...?"

"But like this... as we are right now, you look every part the King you were. That you still are. It's... daunting. In another time I realize your gaze would never have noticed someone like me. While I'm happy we are friends, and that I can be of use to you, and share so many memories... at the same time I guess I can't help but feel we're not equal at all."

Yugi mourned the loss of contact as Yami's fingers slipped from his own, relished guiltily in the feeling of them returning to cup his face and force their gaze to meet.

Yami's eyes blazed with a determination that was not unfamiliar to him, it was the same one he used in battle when the stakes were high and the weight of lives seemed to rest on his shoulders.

"Yugi. You are more than worthy to stand by me as equal. I do not doubt one day you will even surpass me. You say in another time my gaze would not have noticed you, but from the moment we started to talk I could feel that in another time, you could have been pharaoh too."

His eyes were serious, Yami was not the kind to make jokes lightly, but still, despite knowing better, Yugi couldn’t help but believe it was.

"Don’t be silly, other me, even without your memories you're significantly more Pharoah material than I could ever be."

It was Yami's turn to knit his brows in frustration, a small, barely audible, displeased huff slipping from his lips.

"I'm serious, Yugi."

"Hey, lovebirds?" Joey interrupted, effectively drawing the gaze of both spiky haired males to the figure flying higher in the sky. "If you don’t stop fixating on each other you're gonna land in the lake."

Looking down Yugi realized that they had indeed dropped a significant distance out of the sky. At some point his wings stopped moving and Yami was supporting his entire weight in the air, holding on just enough they were falling at a casual pace.

Yugi quickly reminded himself to flap his wings, pulling himself out of Yami's embrace in the process, and rising back up slowly to meet Joey above. Yami following not far behind.

As the duo returned to a more appropriate altitude, Joey planted his hands on his hips and took on his best 'disappointed mother' impression.

"Now that ya finally returned to the sky. Yami, you look fine as hell, if this is what you looked like as Pharaoh I bet all the ladies fawned over you, well, guess they still do, both you and Yuge." Joey swore he could see the start of a darkened blush against the pharaoh’s tanned skin, and tallied himself a win for sufficiently shutting him up. Onto Yugi now.

"And you, Mr. I-dont-feel-worthy Motou." Yugi offered his best friend a sheepish grin, contemplating for half a second whether to just let himself drop into the lake after all.

"You're the gift that keeps on giving. Seriously man I've never met someone more kindhearted than you. You give everything to your friends and don’t ask anything in return. Sure Yami has a face and body that looks like it was carved by the gods, but at the end of the day he’s still your ‘other self’, and your friend right? You've been together for how long now? You have a synergy you barely ever see nowadays, Yami’s lucky to have you."

"I am. I could never repay you for how much you've done for me, I wouldn’t be here I am today without you, Aibou."

"See! Even Yami agrees."

Unlike Yami, Yugi’s blush was anything but subtle.

Bombarded with so much praise he didn’t know what to do with it besides shyly hide his face away. The gesture only making Joey's grin wider as he gave himself another mental tally.

“Now that that’s been tended to, how about we mosey our way over to that kingdom looking place; y’know the one with the really big fancy tower that looks like it’d be home to people far smarter than us?”

The two dragons readily agreed.

“Let’s go.”

***

To say the tower was grand was an understatement.

It was one thing to see such towers in a video game, but another thing entirely to actually get to see one in person.

As it turned out, perhaps unsurprisingly all things considered, it was no cake walk making it from the first floor up. There wasn’t enough room to fly without constantly bumping into the walls, so the trio had to take the ‘long way’ and walk up the stairs manually.

Much to their surprise, the tower seemed full of tiny kuribohs and scapegoats of various colours and forms. Paying little mind to the trio and they darted this way and that carrying various books and papers upon their heads, chirping curious little ‘ _mrr’_ sounds as they worked.

Yugi had to resist the urge to collect a bunch in his arms and bury his face in the soft fluff.

Logic dictated the smartest people were probably at the top of the tower, and seeing as they weren’t being stopped, they continued their push forward.

Just as Joey was about to voiced a bet on being a massive kuriboh on the top floor, they were stopped in their tracks.

"It's the master!" A bright, cheery voice announced, and perhaps the owner of that voice would have tackle hugged Yami had she not come to a screeching halt upon seeing the smaller dragon in tow.

" _Two_ masters!" Her voice was equally delighted and stunned at the revelation.

Hands clasped around Yugi’s own before he could properly take in the blur of colour of the dark magician girl.

Excitement radiated from her being as she looked between her two masters and Yugi couldn't help the slight flush of embarrassment at the attention.

"Yes, we have two masters, you know this." A deeper, more stoic voice reverberated his eardrums and the dark magician girl puffed out her cheeks and turned to none other than the dark magician himself, glancing over at the scene overtop one of many spell books floating about his person.

"I know that Dark! But unlike a certain _someone_ I don't get summoned to the soul room to ever get to see them apart!"

The dark magician made a sound remarkably close to a scoff before bookmarking his page and setting the massive tomb aside as though he had all the time in the world.

There was a third magician there too, one with long flowing silver white hair, dressed in snow and royal blue. If he had to guess based on appearance alone, he suspected she was a magician of ice or light.

She seemed familiar with the dark magicians yet, like his own dragon, he'd never encountered such a magician before. She felt... familiar. Like someone from a dream he'd been anticipating.

The dark magician girl must have noticed his gaze for she gave the other a name.

"This is the Silent Magician. She's like Dark if he only spoke three words a day, but 1000 attack points stronger! She’s got a cool ability that means most magic won’t affect her!"

There was a sense of awe and admiration in the magician girl’s tone, but that was almost lost under the twin gazes shooting to the dark magician who attempted a stoic front under the scrutiny as both Yugis’ pondered how _'the ultimate magician in terms of attack and defense'_ was bested by another.

"Gandora." Her words broke the tension in the air, her grey eyes fixed on Yugi as the smaller dragon turned back towards the silent magician's voice.

Dark magician girl’s eyes seemed to sparkle, fixed on every syllable that fell from the other magician’s lips as though it was a precious keepsake.

If she truly spoke so few words, perhaps it was.

Her voice had an almost motherly air that made him homesick.

"The dragon of destruction."

In an instant the feeling was gone, replaced with a sense of dread sitting heavy in his stomach.

"Like Slifer you have no attack points, but unlike Slifer, you gain 300 attack for every magic, trap, or monster in the area. While it is a powerful ability, it is only temporary."

Yugi felt the hairs on his neck stick up at the revelation. While it was reassuring to finally know his power and his dismal attack, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of uselessness compared to Yami and Joey. At least when he sat out in a battle Yami would gain 1000 attack but him... it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the silent magician implied he'd, under normal circumstances, be sent to the graveyard after the turn resolved.

"Magicians," Yami began, voicing Yugi’s unspoken question about the nature of falling in this world. "What becomes of you if you are defeated in battle here?"

"It's not the end if one of you falls." Dark is quick to reassure, the jerk in his stance implying a desire to reach out to his masters and comfort them.

"If you all fall then it's a problem," The dark magician girl adds, turning on heel to face them with an oddly serious look. "As long as there is still people to fight you can keep everyone safe while they recover, but if you all fall, who knows what will happen."

“And in regards to our predicament? Seeing as you three seem to know an awful lot about all of this.” Joey chimed in, gesturing around like a madman at the ‘ _all of this_.’

“We still don’t know who’s behind this.” Dark admits solemnly as Yami tried to piece together anything he knew about the shadow games that might be of use here.

“We encountered more monsters in Bakura’s roleplaying game than we have here.”

“Perhaps they’re afraid of Slifer?” Yugi offered, glancing at the pharaoh who seemed somewhat taken aback by the comment.

“Or gandora.” He replies coolly and yugi stiffens remembering the power he supposedly possessed, touching a hand to his chest where the puzzle would usually hang. It was a gesture to center himself, yami had come to realize; he wondered how effective it was without their puzzle there.

It would be a lie to say he didn’t miss the weight of it around his neck.

“It would seem whoever brought us here is intending to observe us, but for what purpose I do not know.” Silent chimes in, passing a hefty tome to the dark magician as he opens it to a page of what looks to be literal gibberish.

The text weaving in and out of existing, blurring across the page as if you’d spun one too many times and tried to run in a straight line.

“We found traces of a millennium item but, they’re so faint they cannot have been directly involved.”

“What item is that?” Yami asks curiously. They’d encountered several millennium items in recent events.

“The key.”

“Shadi?” Yugi interjects, immediately recalling when the owner of the millennium key had invaded not only his soul room, but Yami’s as well. Seeking truth not even the pharaoh knew, almost letting the man plunge into the abyss of the labyrinth. 

It would be a lie to say in a way he probably had it coming, all things considered (not that Yami divulged too much on one particular occurrence on the rooftops), but Yugi was much too forgiving for that.

“But why would he do this?”

Yami shook his head, unable to supply a sufficient answer.

“Unless there’s some other item that can manipulate reality, I’ve yet to find an item of such power in these tomes. We are not out of options to get you back, however.”

"Sooo, does that mean you guys gonna join us on our epic quest to get outta this place or you gonna be one of those fancy powerful npcs we can’t recruit?"

“ _Joey!_ ” Yugi reprimanded, but the blonde didn’t look sorry in the slightest.

He wasn’t wrong, despite Slifer and Gandora’s potential power, their overall team power structure was sorely lacking if any fights did come their way. Having three of the most powerful magicians- heck, even _one_ of the magicians would be a significant addition to the team.

“We will be. Myself, Darkess, and Silent will accompany you and keep you safe.” Dark confirms and the trio felt a small amount of tension ease form their shoulders.

“We get to travel with the masters and their friend! That gives us a combined total of at least 10400!” Darkess cheered, twirling her staff in barely contained excitement to be getting out of the tower.

“And up to 5000 on slifer alone if the situation demands it.” Silent added, but her eyes were on Yugi, almost as if she _knew_ Yugi was contemplating his worth to the group and the power he possessed.

Silent wasn’t the only one who had Yugi on their mind.

_“Aibou, I pray we don’t have to use Gandora’s power.”_

“I wonder if any of my monsters are here.” Joey pondered as he regarded the band of magicians and dragons as they made their way back down the flights of stairs. Apparently even magicians didn’t think to install elevators or convenient teleporters.

“Actually, yes, the time wizard is who we seek out to return you home!” Darkess beamed.

The plan was a relatively simple one, as most plans are, cross the lands, rest at a few towns along the way, find the wizard, find the portal and get back home.

****

Naturally, nothing was that simple.

But instead of a hoard of monsters, conveniently placed blockade, or trap, the apparent ‘drama’ Yugi found himself having to deal with, was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It was supposed to be innocent. Spur of the moment decision. Overcome in the moment of comfort as Yami entwined their hands to lean forward and kiss him.

He was never going to hear the end of this, how was it only morning; couldn’t it be night so he could curl up in a ball and pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist?

"Hah! I knew they liked each other in that way!" The dark magician girl was positively _beaming_ rocking back and forth in the balls of her feet like and excited child, spinning towards the taller magician with her palm upturned and waiting.

"Pay up Dark."

Before Yami could voice his inquiry to the existence of such a bet from the dark magician no less, said magician swatted the expectant hand away, replying with a curt, "An indignant huff does not count as an acceptance to a bet."

The dark magician girl puffed her cheeks in reply. Had she been slightly more immature, perhaps she would have stamped her foot as well.

But there was no need to give the other more reason to scold her behaviour.

"And a groan of displeasure to start lessons on dark magic at 6 in the morning is not me accepting that routine, so tomato tomato, pay up mister!"

Breaking their moment with a distracting cough, the silent magician drew the other female’s gaze to her before adding her own 2 cents,

"Perhaps you should discuss this matter elsewhere before poor gandora faints from embarrassment?"

Perhaps that wasn’t the best thing to say for all eyes in the camp turned toward Yugi who was more or less a tomato himself.

Yami beside him hardly tried to contain a smirk.

"Hey Yuge, is that why you stopped asking me for-"

 _"JOEY!!!"_ Joey's mouth was promptly greeted by the palm of Yugi’s hand and he forbade him from finishing that sentence, honestly had _EVERYONE_ seen him kiss Yami??

Never before had he so desperately wished himself and yami were in the same body so he could push his other self to the front and bury himself keep within the confines of his soul room.

With any luck this would be the most drama their journey would entail. Not that Yugi could consider himself anywhere close to lucky at the moment.

 _“I’m sure Darkess will be distracted soon as we hit the road.”_ Yami tried to comfort, but Yugi could _feel_ the satisfaction radiating off of his person.

_“You’re just smug you got away with it before, aren’t you.”_

_“Why ever would you think that, Abiou.”_

Yugi wanted to wipe that smug look off of his face.

Preferably with another kiss.

Preferably away from prying eyes.

****

Yami wished he’d prayed to the gods more that they wouldn’t be put in this situation. To be overwhelmed by cubic looking monsters of various sizes and seemingly undefeatable by conventional means.

Not even the Magicians attacks could keep the monsters at bay for long, coming back in sets of two and three whenever over of the bigger monsters attacked. Targeting the smaller egg shaped flying ones seldom did much good either.

With great reluctance it seemed the only way to definitively ‘clear the field’ would be to rely on Gandora’s power; but to know that he would ‘fall’ in battle for the sake of that power...

Surely the power of slifer wouldn’t be inhibited by such creatures?? Perhaps not, but he knew his body couldn’t keep up with the constant stream of attacks.

_“I have to do this, other me; it may be the only way to get through this hoard.”_

Yami’s soul screamed in retaliation as Yugi took a step forward towards the onslaught of monsters and he fought to lock the growing emotion behind the barrier of his mind.

_“Trust in me.”_

“It’s now or never Yuge, give em what for and let’s get outta this place!” Joey encouraged as he picked up a reluctant Yami around the waist and hauled his scaley red ass back to the magicians.

Yami _knew_ Joey wasn’t any more on board with this idea to ‘sacrifice’ Yugi, but unlike Yami, he had the capacity to do the right thing despite his own feelings on the matter. That was his best friend he was letting stand on the front line after all. The best friend he would, same as Yami, willingly die for. It shouldn’t work the other way around.

It seemed simple enough, Yugi thought as Silent explained more of the power of Gandora. He just had to concentrate, focus his energy on the task he wished to accomplish.

Power surged throughout his body, red gems turning a deeper, blood red as they swam with power, hummed almost soothingly against his skin.

He had to be fast, gandora was vulnerable while he waited to activate his special ability.

From behind him, 'off the battlefield' he could see the silent magician and dark magician girl ready their staffs, crossing them in the air and forming a magicians defense around the rest of the group.

The dark magician did not take part, no doubt leaving himself free should the worst come to pass and yugi couldn’t control his power.

A trickle of fear bled through his bond with yami. He did not doubt there was a dam of emotions he was consciously holding back, for both of their sakes, but no amount of self control could stop him wanting to reach out, to tell his partner they could find another way.

It wasn’t as though yami didn’t have confidence in his ability, quite the opposite, but no matter how much time had passed yami still couldn’t bear to be separated by any means from his partner especially when he knew he couldn’t be there to help.

He was _almost_ glad Joey had to take up half his tail in arms to ensure it didn’t fall outside the barrier.

As the monster drew in to overwhelm him, yugi released the power of gandora.

Beams of blood red light fired from every gem on his body, piercing the monsters and vanquishing them one by one, so fast an efficient they didn’t have the chance to respawn and join, until _finally_ the army became a handful and the handful became nothing.

The battlefield devoid of the threatening force leaving the barren wasteland free to stretch as far as the eye could see.

Yugi felt a surge in his own power. The energy from those he destroyed feeding back through the light to the gems decorating his body; but with nowhere to direct it to, his body convulsed in a spark of pain.

An intense burning feeling jumping like lighting throughout his body, frying his nerves making him gasp.

In fear of the stored power tearing him apart, yugi released it in shockwave that almost knocked the magicians off their feet, successfully knocking joey to where his face was met with the ground.

A wash of relief and weightlessness overcame him, he felt dizzy; his power rapidly dropping as his turn came to an end.

From his right he could hear yami shout out his name, but the world was already falling out of focus. Darkness clawing at the edges of his mind.

He tried to reach out to his other half through their link, attempted to reassure him he was fine. But in the next moment the world faded to black and his body made contact with the dark magician, catching him before he could slam into the ground.

Yami and Joey were there in an instant, fretting over their friend who for all intents and purposes, seemed dead to the world.

Yami had encountered silence before in moments he'd sealed off his emotions from the other. But those times were few and far between, whether the Pharaoh was actively present, or enjoying the quite hum of yugi’s voice and consciousness from afar, nothing made him more uneasy than the deep void of nothing.

No whispers, no dreams, just… _emptiness_.

It was _deafening_ , Yugi rarely shut off their link, and even if he did, it was not to the extent that yami couldn’t _feel_ him.

His mind flashed back to the warehouse fire, his partner being so close yet out of reach.

The wash of powerlessness overcame him, threatened to consume him.

It was getting harder to breathe.

"He'll be okay." Yami barely registered the hand touching his shoulder and he watched over yugi, safe and secure in the dark magician’s arms.

"When I got knocked out it took a couple of hours to wake up, but remember, master, this isn’t the shadow realm. Yugi’s soul is perfectly fine."

Yami swallowed thickly at this information, forcing himself to nod as composed as possible.

He knew it wasn’t fooling anyone.

He knew even joey was worried at how much he was reacting even if on the outside he remained mostly still.

“Come on, the time wizard isn’t too much further ahead now.”

Ideally he would have appreciated dark magician allowing him to carry yugi onwards, but while he'd learnt how to maneuver his body, extra weight would likely throw off his balance and have him tripping over his own tail.

Instead he welcomed the dark magician girl's onslaught of questions, questions she'd apparently been keeping back with intention to ask only him.

It wasn’t as if the questions would have bothered yugi had he been conscious enough to hear them, embarrassed him somewhat perhaps, but for the most part, they were inquiries to his early time reawakened in the modern world.

It made him anxious, reliving his past misdeeds, while he would argue he did not regret the blatant use of his powers to drag yugi’s bullies into punishment games, he couldn’t help the pang of guilt that he'd so aggressively taken yugi’s body.

He didn’t know any better at the time, _they_ didn’t know any better, for all he knew the two of them were the same person, but as time went on they’d come to realize they clearly weren't.

Yami could never be more grateful for the bond he now shared with yugi, and for the acceptance of their friends that yes, they both existed in the same space.

Dark magician watched him curiously as he spoke, as joey chuckled nervously, thankful that yugi had snapped himself and tristen out of their bad habits before yami had awoken and taken matters into his own hands; yami, however, couldn’t help but feel like a child with his hand in the cookie jar.

The dark magician somewhat knew of his past and, while he knew the magician remembered about as much as he did, he couldn’t help but feel those eyes were comparing the _him_ of now, to the pharaoh he was before.

Was he a better or worse person than he was then?

Surely yugi’s influence on him had made him better?

The time wizard’s tower couldn’t come into focus fast enough. He wanted to be reunited with Yugi soon. He wanted to go _home._ Back to the motou residence, back with yugi warmly in his heart and soul.

****

"Hey uh, you... you doing alright?" Much to Yami's relief, Joey's voice dragged him out of the hurricane of thoughts plaguing his mind, forcing himself to turn to the blonde as he leaned against the banister overlooking the world.

"I've been better." He replies with a forced smile, he knows Joey can see through him, could see through him from the moment his connection with yugi had been severed.

It wasn’t permanent, he told himself, convinced himself. But the sheer expanse of _silence_ made the pharaoh far more restless than he'd ever thought possible.

From his waking moment in the modern world, he'd been connected to yugi. Whether he was completely aware of his own individual existence or not, there was always noise, chatter, thoughts bouncing to and from. A light that pushed back the darkness of his prison and welcomed him like an old friend.

If he'd still been bound to the puzzle in this world, the pharaoh had no doubts the darkness would eat him alive.

As silence fell between them, yami couldn’t help but stare at the palms of his hands. Unlike his partner there was no discoloration or scars. No imprint of the puzzle nor the chains he held on to so desperately as fire licked at his skin.

While his relief was obvious that even after suffering such horrific burns, yugi’s nerves had not been permanently damaged, and the scars themselves faded more or less from the view of the untrained eye; but for yami he felt it was almost cruel that in this world, he did not bear those same marks.

It was like the world was trying it's best to remind him how helpless he felt without his partner at his side. Without that connection they shared.

If the culprit behind their current predicament was looking for a way to tear them down, this was certainly it.

He could have every confidence in himself and his skill, and in yugi’s too, but without that connection, without that reassurance, he may as well have been buried within the puzzle and lost to the bottom of the sea.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Yami finally caved to the desire for noise.

"Joey, be honest with me, is it wrong for me to be so dependent on yugi?"

Joey seemed to snap his head towards yami as if he'd grown a second head.

"Did gandora hit you with one of his laser beams cause what do you _mean_ by that? The two of you are like puzzle pieces in your own right."

Yami didn’t seem entirely convinced, which only made Joey more determined to get the message through the pharaoh’s thick skull.

"I may not know how you're feeling, I don’t think anyone could with the bond you share with yuge, but you gotta know he depends on you too.

"When that building was on fire, he never stopped worrying about you. His life was in danger but instead of leaving you there he stayed, sat in a burning room to bring you back."

In a way he admired Joey for sounding so strong as he recounted that fateful event barely a month prior.

As sick as it made him feel, he knew Joey felt the same way too.

After all, he willingly waited for yugi to finish.

Promised tea and tristen he’d pull yugi out before it was too late.

But with the death grip yugi had on the puzzle and chains, he had to wonder if he hadn’t been able to reach out through the hazy connection, if all three of them would have perished that day.

“I don’t know if you were listening when we were in the hospital, but y’know Yuge said his heart made a wish on the puzzle right?"

Yami finally turned to eye Joey curiously. He knew of the wish first made on the puzzle that awoke him from his three thousand year slumber, yugi had somewhat told him unintentionally when their bond was still new; but he had opted to give yugi some space when he was well enough for visitors to the hospital.

Apprehensively, he shook his head, asking for joey to continue.

“Tea was asking him what his wishes were on the puzzle, seeing as putting it together is supposed to grant ‘em right? He refused to tell us the first one which is fair, but in the fire? He said he didn’t wish for it specifically, but his heart wished to see you again."

Yami gawked at him but Joey's gaze was far off to the distant horizon.

"He wondered if that wish helped him reassemble it so quickly, next to y’know, finally building it after 8 years the first time."

There was a returning ache in his heart, a longing to be at yugi’s side. As much as he’d come to appreciate having separate bodies, to be able to touch his partner, he missed the feeling of their souls brushing against each other, meeting in their collective mind space, knowing and feeling, connecting on a level so much deeper and intimate than anyone else.

"Thankyou, Joey."

Joey's words provided him comfort, but they also made him miss yugi even more.

Joey's expression lightened at the feeling of getting through to his other best friend and promptly shot him a combination thumbs up and award-winning grin.

"No problem pal, now get your scaly ass over to Yuge. The magicians’ already said we won’t be moving until he wakes up anyway so there’s no harm in resting yourself. I can’t imagine having your own body after so long is a walk in the park, you must be tired.”

With a encouraging shove, Joey set Yami on his way down the hallways and back to the chamber Yugi was resting in.

The dragonmaids that littered the hallways paid him little mind, bowing respectfully as he walked by before they resumed their late night tasks as the other masters of the tower had already taken their leave.

As he neared the chamber, yami got the distinct feeling he was being watched. A glance to his left revealed no figure in the distance, but the notion did not leave. A lure? A trap? Yami’s mind pondered what awaited him should he take the other path.

In the end curiosity took hold, and after maneuvering around his own tail, Yami followed the pull to a long hallway light only by the world’s great moon. At the end of the hallway, a lone, hooded figure seemed to grin; and as the figure approached, Yami recognized the snippets of gold in his navy hair and in the bands wrapped around his neck.

The hooded figure behind the wall of cube monsters.

“ _You_.” The word dripped from his mouth like venom, the culprit and reason his partner was currently in a comatose state. His foot found purchase on the stone floor, bracing himself for a fight. Regardless of his power as Slifer, he was still a Pharaoh, and he refused to back down.

“Do not be so tense, _Pharaoh_ , I mean you no harm bringing you here.”

His voice was smooth, careful, not unlike the more childish air their current adversary Marik seemed to hold, it only convinced him more that the rare hunters were not behind this mess.

“You say that as if my partner isn’t unconscious.” Yami scoffed, and the figure paused midstep.

“Your _vessel_ will be fine.” The figure reassured. Yami didn’t particularly enjoy the way he addressed Yugi as his ‘vessel.’ Technically speaking he was, but that was never how Yami viewed the other. Frankly the term felt insulting, degrading to how much strength Yugi held.

“A necessary evil to separate the two of you,” Yami felt his eye twitch. “You are too easily influenced by each other and the message I wish to convey is… a sensitive one. For your ears only.”

While he wasn’t convinced, the hooded man had gone to great lengths to get Yami alone. What could be so important this man would go out of the way to bring them to an alternate reality, separate them both physically, then put them into a position that yugi would use the powers of gandora and slip into a coma, silencing their link entirely.

“Speak then.”

***

After the hooded figure left, Yami did in fact, return to his original plan to take up Joey's proposal; wandering back along the hallways to the room his partner was resting in.

It was no surprise that Darkess was there; he figured at least one of the magicians would be keeping an eye on Yugi until he awakened.

Still, the dark magician girl beamed as Yami crossed the short stretch of flooring to the bed.

The steady rise and fall of Yugi’s chest could fool almost anyone into believing he was simply asleep, but Yami knew otherwise.

"He's still unconscious, but it's only been a couple of hours. How are you doing Maste- Yami?"

Yami paused for a long moment; ‘surviving’, ‘been better’, ‘worried’ all came flooding to mind, eager to make his emotions known but the ingrained instinct to suppress them won out until he finally managed to settle on a simple, "Tired."

"You've been through a lot, why don't you go rest?"

Yami's gaze fluttered to Yugi for only a moment but the young magician caught him nonetheless.

Hands finding her hips she put on her best pout before playfully complaining, "Silent said you'd want to rest with Yugi, I wanted to steal him for myself for at least a little bit longer."

His lips twitched in a smirk Darkess took as a win, promptly dropping her act and muttering something about letting one of them know if anything changed or if he wanted to leave so Yugi had company when he awoke. All of it a mere buzz to his hears and instinctive nods to show he at least took in some of it before the dark magician girl was gone, and Yami was alone in the room with Yugi.

Following Joey's advice, Yami pulled the heavy curtains, plunging the room into almost total darkness, save for the small crack of light shining through the door.

As he stood in the middle of it all, an overwhelming sense of familiarity eased some of the tension in his body.

Like this the room felt safe. Homely. Like they were back in the puzzle. On Yami's side of the door.

Making his way back to the bed, he climbed under the thin sheet with a practiced ease; shuffling both himself and Yugi until they were comfortably entwined, and he could feel the gentle caress of the other's breath against his neck; his long tail draping over the edge of the bed to pool in a mess across the floor. If anyone dared to approach them, he'd surely know.

His thoughts lingered on what the hooded figure had said, that when they finally part, Yami should never return to earth.

He did not know this 'Plana' but he did know one thing, if Yugi was in danger, afterlife or not, he'd break every law of this world and beyond to protect him, consequences be damned.

"I'll always come back to you." He promised, placing a gentle kiss to his partner's forehead before finally allowing himself to slowly slip into the realm of slumber.

He imagined Yugi was sleepy, exhausted from a busy day of cramming for exams, dodgeball, and helping grandpa with the late afternoon shift at the store; his body and mind simply incapable of idle chatter although he would have tried before passing out in yami's embrace.

Yami chuckled at the thought and allowed himself to indulge in the scenario before closing his weary eyes too.

***

The darkness was oddly comforting despite his eyes straining against the black, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

There was a weight enveloping him, preventing much more than a wiggle from his sluggish body.

Yugi wasn’t quite sure how long he'd been out, but he was more than grateful to feel the familiar buzz of his link to Yami reaffirm he was back.

It was loud, solid, much like the warmth around him. Putting two and two together it made sense the gentle breathing against his head must be from Yami.

Regardless of how close he was with Joey, no matter how often they’d passed out against each other, there was never this level of intimacy to it.

Nuzzling his face against the other and finding the cool touch of gold still surrounding Yami's neck only sealed the deal.

Waking the other up however, was not his first priority. His comatose state began with the severing of their connection, a fade to black, a brief bout of emptiness and nothing, to him waking up now. It felt like maybe seconds but he knew it must have been hours, maybe days.

No, instead he basked in the feeling of Yami.

Their minds brushing, connected on every level once more.

It tempted him to sink back into the void, exhaustion still wracked his body; perhaps he could meet yami in the soul room, if they could still reach it in this dimension.

Just as he was about to test that theory, the great Egyptian dragon stirred.

Eyes blinking open, unseeing too against the dark, but fixated on where he knew his other half to be.

A breathless _'Aibou_.' Falling from his lips as the arms around him instantly tightened, knocking the air from his lungs and drawing out a startled squeak as the floodgates opened between their mind link, relief, joy, and love.

It took a moment for Yugi to regain control of his breathing, squirming in the others iron grip so he could draw in enough air to not pass back out.

A chuckle falling from his lips as he returned the embrace and patted Yami's back.

"It feels like we're back in the puzzle again”

Yami couldn’t help but hum in agreement.

A part of his mind argued he should get up; he’d been out for more than long enough but the weariness and ache of his body urged him to curl back up and return to sleep.

"I wouldn’t mind staying like this a bit longer."

"Weren't you the one telling me earlier that there are people waiting for us and a world to save? A bit hypocritical of you, Aibou."

Yugi could practically _see_ the smug grin on his other half's face, the quirk of an eyebrow and playful air to his tease.

The only responsible thing the smaller dragon could do was pout.

"That was before I felt like a reusable confetti canon made for giants."

Yami barely contained a deep bellied laugh at the choice of explanation, burying his face back into Yugi’s neck and sighing contently.

It would be so easy to just say in bed forever.

With Yugi pressed so close, Yami recalled kissing his partner in a sleepy hazy. How Yugi seemed unbothered by the gesture, and then later one, going so far as to kiss him back when he’d offered his support and entwined their hands.

Sure Darkess embarrassed him greatly, but Yugi gave him no reason to believe he was against the idea.

It felt natural. If he was being honest. As natural as breathing, as natural as the non existent boundary of space between them.

The thought made him bold, eager to test the limits of what they could do.

Careful of the notorious leather choker that somehow managed to survive becoming a dragon, Yami set to work placing sweet kisses along his neck. A pleasant hum filtered through their mind link only encouraged him on, the kisses becoming rougher, longer. There was little doubt in his mind if he didn’t stop the resulting marks would be on display for the world to see.

It would be a lie to say he didn’t like the idea of that.

“ _Yami_.” The whine that slipped from Yugi’s lips was unlike any he’d heard before, not even when he’d pulled out _that_ particular worn box from under his bed and nervously placed the puzzle back on the bedpost.

The sound sent a shock immediately south down his spine and for the first time since coming to this world Yami wondered if… maybe… they could… would Yugi even be down to…

 _“I can hear your thoughts, other me.”_ Yugi interrupted.

_“Stop thinking about it and get up here.”_

Yami didn't really know what to expect as Yugi shuffled and directed him, but he couldn’t stop the wave of bashfulness that overcame him as he straddled Yugi's body.

It should have been fine, the concept of personal space was nonexistent between them and yet... and yet, the way yugi cupped his hands to squeeze his thighs, urging him closer to his face; _sensing_ Yugi's intentions had his cheeks burning and his head dizzy.

Yugi smiled up at him with the reassuring smile that promised him the world, and oh how Yami was weak to that smile.

Yugi's face came into view much faster than his racing mind would have liked. While he couldn't deny the surge of arousal to see his other staring up so _hungrily_ between his thighs, it only served to make him more hyper aware of what was to transpire.

Yami decided then that the worst thing about this body was his tail and wings.

Had he had a set like yugi he could have at least been on his back. While it would do little to spare his heart he could have at least had the means to hide his embarrassment.

Should a pharaoh even be embarrassed by sex..? It was probably unbecoming for him but he couldn't help it, the way yugi was looking at him, _touching_ him...

"We can stop if it's too much." Yugi soothed, fingers gently massaging the red of his thighs in small circles. How yugi was keeping up with Yami’s mental barrage he did not know, but he was grateful nonetheless.

" _No_ , don’t stop."

The reply was much too quick not to insinuate he hadn't at least _thought_ about this before, and yugi had to bite back a chuckle at his other self's composure cracking.

What a delight to be the one to see him break, to be the one to break him, god yugi wanted to break him, watch the mighty pharaoh, his other self, his partner crumble under the pleasure given by _him_.

Yugi lavished his cock with attention, pressed the pad of his tongue to the base and dragged it along heavily up the length until it flicked over the top so pointedly it made Yami’s cock bounce, before taking the whole thing down to the base as if he had all the time in the world.

Shamefully the gesture alone was almost enough to send him back to the afterlife.

Yugi sucking him off was simultaneous an exercise in trying not to shove his dick down his throat, and trying to will his arms to support his weight.

His legs quaked at the hot, wet mouth on his cock. Hips twitching forward his a near desperate need to press further into that heat.

His voice was already a wreck of half contained pants and strangulated moans.

Yugi on the other hand, seemed enthralled by his noises, so much so he seemed only more encouraged to draw more out of him. Sucking and hollowing his cheeks, pulling off his cock with obscene pops before diving back in to lavish it some more. It was almost as if yugi had made it his life's goal to push him over the brink of madness.

Worst of all he was picking up speed.

The intention of keeping his voice in check was fracturing at a breakneck pace, hands gripped the sheets like a lifeline as yami begged his body to obey. No matter how much this room felt like it, this was not the puzzle, and there was a very real chance _someone_ was on the other side of the door.

That realization mortified him as much as it turned him on.

He was pretty sure he was drooling, but there was no chance to be embarrassed or make himself decent before yugi changed the game again and pointedly circled the rim of his ass throwing yami into a full body _shudder_ that almost had yugi choking on his cock.

_"Too much?"_

Yami couldn’t _see_ the satisfied smirk that accompanied that breathless internal voice, but he _knew_ it was there. Teasing him.

_“Y-yes. No. Too much. Not enough. **More**.”_

Yugi chuckled at his other self's flurry of emotions, pulling off the dark cock with a lewd pop. His attention returned to the head and slit, smearing precum with his tongue as his fingers prodded and pushed passed the ring of Yami’s entrance. The first finger slipping in surprisingly easily to the knuckle. Whether it was magic or some weird dragon anatomy, yugi wasn’t complaining.

 _“YUGI!!"_ whether the shout was internal or not, yugi reveled in the way Yami pushed back in his finger, desperate to push him deeper, but also desperate for the tongue still tending to his cock.

"Y-yugi I can't-" The words were cut off as the second finger slipped in. Massaging and scissoring his inner walls.

“Other me, if you are struggling now, how will you cope with the main event?” It was a cruel tease, he knew it, but the choked whimper that yami would absolutely deny he was ever capable of making was more than worth it.

Whatever reply be it verbal or internal was violently robbed from Yami’s tongue as Yugi brushed that bundle of nerves, shoving the red dragon over the edge of pleasure.

Yugi silently thanked the gods his eyes had adjusted enough under the dim light to see the magnificent arch of Yami’s back, and the trembling flutter of his wings as his spilled himself down Yugi’s throat.

The sight alone was almost enough to send him over the edge too. _Almost_.

Yami’s arms gave out as Yugi continued gentle, lazy strokes across his sensitive insides, drawing out tiny broken whines and moans in the process, his body slumping to his elbows in a vain attempt to keep his body from crushing Yugi.

Yugi shamelessly indulged in that over stimulated pleasured expression, slipping the hand that had been supporting Yami’s thigh down to relieve his own straining erection.

“Hold on just a little more, Other me.” Yugi whispered into his neck, peppering him with affectionate kisses and nips.

“ _????????_ “ A strange sentence slipped from Yami’s mouth, it was unlike anything he’d heard from his partner before, foreign, harsh… unfairly attractive. Fuck Yugi didn’t know what his other self just said, but the syllables from _that_ voice were enough to do him in.

“W-what was _that??_ ” He asked, breathless and weary but adamant on hearing whatever the heck came out of Yami’s mouth again. 

“What was what?” Yami stumbled, trying to get his mouth to cooperate. His body now flush against Yugi’s, smearing the drying cum between their torsos. They were in dire need of a shower after this. If they could get to said shower… or a lake… did they just have to use the bed sheets?

“That voice! You spoke in a different language other me.” _‘And it was really hot.’_ He added internally, forgetting in the moment that Yami could hear his inner thoughts.

“I… don’t know. It just happened?”

“What did you say?”

“Not something I am going to repeat out loud now I’m coherent.”

Yugi pouted being shot down so fast, it only made him all the more curious what was said. Perhaps his other self would think about it in the near future, unfiltered, and Yugi could put two and two together. It was a long shot, but a plan nonetheless to store away for later.

A plan Yami seemed adamant enough to distract him from with another kiss. Affectionate and warm, Yugi couldn’t help the small chuckle at the telltale crinkle of his nose tasting himself on Yugi’s lips.

Instant karma, Yugi thought, giving himself a mental high five.

After a few moments more of kissing and basking in the afterglow, Yugi had to ask.

"So what happens now?"

Reluctantly, Yami pulled away to reply.

"The magician's are conversing with the time wizard to ensure our departure will be smooth. The dimension ripple in is our way out but because of its location, they will be using the turn of the planet to bring the ripple closer to this tower. The highest peak is close enough to the ripple we will be able to pass back through."

“And… how long have they been conversing for?”

“They’ve probably finished by now.”

Yugi groaned at the answer he was absolutely expecting. If there was any reason to get out of bed, that would be it. Nothing would be worse than being interrupted or teased, no matter how much he wanted this small pocket of peace to last forever.

“Suppose we should go and greet them then.”

“And inform the others you are awake?” Yami added cheekily.

“…Yes that too.”

***

Much to their surprise, and growing embarrassment, Dark was the one outside their door, seated on the plush red carpet and propped up against the stone wall blissfully asleep with staff in hand, no doubt ready to leap into action should the situation call for it.

 _“Do you… think he heard us?”_ Yugi whispered despite the question being an internal one. Goosebumps broke out over his exposed skin as a nervous sweat formed.

 _“He absolutely did.”_ Yami’s voice sounded strained, embarrassed.

Correction, they were both embarrassed, this was awful.

To make matters worse, almost as if he’d _heard_ them chatter amongst themselves, Dark awoke and glancing up at them the trio engaged in the most intense match of blink and you lose; frantically trying to get a read on just _how much_ the magician had heard.

Whether it was a blessing or a curse, the specifics were to be decided later, Dark said nothing. Didn’t give so much as a _hint_ to the forbidden knowledge he potentially possessed. Simply bowed his head in acknowledgement to the two dragons and spoke.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake. The time wizard is ready to move the tower, you can return home whenever you are ready to fly.”

“Thankyou, we shall meet up with the others and prepare for departure.”

To Yami’s credit, he was considerably more composed than Yugi was. It seemed his boldness ended at the bedroom door.

“Before you go, Masters.” With a flick of his wrist _missed evidence_ of their encounter was whisked away. “Please ensure you are both presentable. I’d advice against giving Darkess more reason to speak out of line.”

Yugi felt like he would spontaneously combust. Almost _hoped_ he would spontaneously combust. Mouth gaping like a fish out of water, torn between squeaky protests and acceptance. While Yami didn’t so much as blink, he did cough into his hand; audibly clearing his throat before replying.

“We’ll keep it in mind. Let’s go, Aibou.”

Slotting their hands together, Yami briskly lead the duo down the hallway and away from the Magician; the sooner they got back to their world the better. He trusted the Dark Magician wouldn’t say anything, but the fact he _knew_ was already embarrassing enough. A bleed of bouncing emotions and thoughts had the other wondering if they could ever look at his spirit in the same way again. 

_“You’re being overdramatic, Aibou, it will be fine.”_

_“I’ll believe that when we’re home.”_

Back in the doorway the Dark Magician couldn’t help an affectionate sigh, and silently thanked the gods from bringing yugi, and his friends into his precious pharaoh’s life.

***

The world was a blur about them as the time wizard working his ancient magic to send the trio home; night and day cycling in seconds as time warped and retraced their days to the point they’d arrived.

“Y’know I think I’m gonna miss this place.” Joey mused, holding onto the top of the time tower spiral after a rather spectacular reenactment of king kong complete with loud gorilla sounds. “Forgetting the vicious hoard of regenerating pixel creeps that tried to murder us and threw Yuge into a coma, but all in all, this place was pretty sick. We got to hang out, meet some cool monsters, and did I mention we got to be badass _dragons?_ Don’t get that kind of fun every day in Domino City.”

“It has been pretty fun, in a weird kind of way, but when has anything been normal for us.”

“Especially since _you_ arrived.” Joey gestured to Yami who was quite happily wrapped around a significant portion of the tower like a snake in a tree, ‘floating’ contently just off the tower roof, supported but his ridiculous lower back and tail muscles. Yugi couldn’t help but stare just a little as he sat on the banister railing just below them.

“It was weird being separated, but it had its perks.” Yami confessed and Yugi pointedly looked away when Joey followed Yami’s gaze.

“Speaking of being separated.”

Yugi sucked in a breath. It suddenly felt like someone was dancing on his grave. A quiet _‘don’t you dare’_ echoed in his mind as Joey all but _skipped_ down the roof to whisper to him, “You guys fucked didn’t you?”

 **“JoEy!!!”** Yugi shrieked, losing his balance and causing both remaining dragons to reach out to catch him least he make a rather unfortunate trip back to the ground.

“Hey, hey no falling off of the tower now.” The barely contained chuckle did little for Yugi’s racing heart.

“How did you know!?”

Wrong choice of words. Joey’s shit-eating grin and suggestive wiggle of eyebrows was proof of that.

“I didn’t, you just told me.”

Yami’s expression moving from confused to sympathetic and he took the initiative to curl his tail around the trio as the bright light of the dimensional ripple blinked into existence. Of course Joey was the kind of person to just _know_ with one look.

“I’m done.” Yugi announces, nervousness no longer an option but a blush high on his face as he turned to Yami, pointedly ignoring anything and everything that Joey would have the _audacity_ to ask. “Other me I want go home right now.”

“You ain’t getting out of this one Yuge! I want the deets!”

“I’M IGNORING YOU JOEY.”

Despite himself, Yami couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“We’ll be home soon, Aibou. The ripple is open, Domino City awaits.”


End file.
